What is a person to do????

I love Pepsi. I mean it. I love the fizz when a new bottle is first opened. The swfishh. The bubbles that tickle my nose. And I am a bit of snob about it. I don't like it from a can, it picks up a metallic taste. Quik Trip fountain over crushed ice, is really good. But I will settle for a bottle from a store poured over ice and if necessary straight from a chilled bottle.

Yep, I like my Pepsi. I have even kicked the habit twice in the past 6.5 years. My lastest devestating relapse was the result of my trip to Ireland. I tried having a Coke a few times over there. And I did okay. So when I got back, I thought I would try to have a Pepsi here and there. And I did have one here and there. One a day here, sometimes a second one a day there. Slowly I built up to routinely two a day. Just sneaked up on me. I wake up and the first thing I think is, I need a Pepsi to get me jump started.

big ** SIGH **

So I have been wanting to kick this thing again, but the timing hasn't been the greatest. All in my house agreed a Momma on steroids would not be good timing to kick the Pepsi habit. Already irritable, why add in a caffeine withdrawal headache on top of it. So the steroids are done, and I am as back to normal as I could possibly be. I drank my last Pepsi yesterday and decided today would be my first day to go without and start anew.

On the way to church, dear hubby knowing my love for Pepsi, like some like coffee in the morning, offered to stop. I told him it was my first day to go Pepsi-less. He kept driving. Sitting in church during announcements, our most awesome pastor asks the congregation to go buy and enjoy our favorite beverage in a 2-liter and donate the bottle to our sister inner city church. To which I looked at my husband and he laughs. He laughs. Then, again, in Sunday School, the same request is made. I am dragging at this point. I have not had my caffeine. I want to take a nap. My husband laughs.

He laughs us all the way home, but wait! He makes a detour. He stops at Quik Trip. What does he buy? Cherry Pepsi for the kids. Pepsi Max for himself. And drumroll, a Pepsi for me. Nothing like giving an addict more of what he is addicted to and expecting them to stop with just one glass. Honestly, I held out...all the way to 2:30. That bottle just sat there on the counter. I avoided the kitchen as much as I could. What can I say, I am doing my part to help the church. There is less than a 1/3 of the bottle left. I will finish it in the morning. Wash it out, take it to the church and quietly ask they not ask me for anymore 2 liters. Cause, then I will feel obliged to put off my withdrawal for yet another week.

Simple Summer Joys!

Cake Boss I am not, but I did get it done...

So I come home one night to discover that Fun Mom and her friend had designed the birthday cake for Fun Mom. The first words out of my mouth were, "Who do you think I am, Cake Boss?"

To which they laughed.

The cake they designed even had a wire feature that would require being covered in fondant.

The dear friend, that she is, offered to be there to help me. She would make the wire feature and would even cover it fondant.
Guess what, she wasn't able to come over after all...she was with her dad.
Not that the wire feature would have happened. :)
On the other hand, her mom and little sister were there helping to roll out fondant shapes. To taste the fondant and offer comedy and support as I attempt this mammoth cake. 4 cake mixes, lots of frosting and fondant. ONE BIG HUG and Happy daughter. She is so not allowed to make her next cake this complicated. And I need to take a fondant class and learn to make marshmallow fondant.

Feathers...they just get this momma in trouble

So just a little while ago, my oldest turned 15. What did she want for her birthday? A feather in her hair! What did I say in return, "Will you call it macaroni?" Fun Mom, didn't think I was too funny. Why do you want a feather? Cause some of my friends have them and they are cool. I couldn't help myself, "Cause birds of feather flock together?"

So in spite of the constant laughter on my part, I decided we could do this. The one liners, I must admit just kept coming. That first night, I laughed so much, that even dear hubby told me I had to get a grip and stop laughing. But it only got worse, cause.....

I was going to make it happen and fortunately for my sweet daughter, her cousin, my niece posted these instructions on how to adorn one's mane with feathers. We can do this ourselves, I told her. Of course, her cousin is one cool cousin and that was okay. We texted her in Colorado. We found the tools and devices. But feathers??? They were hard to find. Texted my niece...checked out the stores she recommended.

Guess what?? Fly fishing is not as big in Kansas as in some other places. But, we were referred to a fly fishing store. We went, the guy knew we were coming... I should have known something was up. He greeted me at the door and said, "don't have any." HUH???? Don't have any what??? "What you are looking for?" But I haven't asked for anything. "I know what you are here for." You do???? Someone from the day before tipped him off that I was coming. But I didn't understand, left my name and number and left. But the birthday is now days away. I had no idea feathers would be difficult to come by. So I call my Gander Mountain loving friend. Well actually, she loves the man in her life who loves Gander Mountain in Wisconsin and sent her an SOS text. I, also, send a similar SOS to my sis in Colorado Springs. I am, meanwhile, on the computer looking up fly fishing stores in Colorado. My friend is in Wisconsin talking to her husband asking for feathers and he is like what??? Have I mentioned how much everyone adores FUN MOM! ! So my sis finds them in Colorado and priority mails them to us and they arrive within hours of party time.

YEAH ! !

Fun Mom, meanwhile, is not very impressed. This is far more of an ordeal than she bargained for and she doesn't understand why the salon is out of the question. AND she is very frustrated, her mother starts laughing hysterically at the mere thought of a feather, bird or anything fowl. Why??? might you ask. Well, in the course of searching fly fishing shops in Colorado, I came across a few online articles about these feathers....

This led to a little research about where these feathers come from....

Supposedly fly fishermen are angry. They can't find the feathers they need for their hobby. Why?? because they are walking all over the world not on fishing hooks but on the heads of human race. And yet there is a tremendous irony to this little fact. Which sends me rolling on the floor in hysterics, much to Fun Mom's displeasure. You see these feathers come from roosters. In particular, rooster's behinds. They are tail feathers ! ! !! Roosters are the males of their species. Male birds are all pretty colors and fancy to attract their more duller in appearance female counterparts. Think on this a bit. What particular part of the human race are attracted to these feathers..... the females. They are wearing tale feathers on their heads. They aren't attracting the males of the human race. They are annoying them. This irony sends me over the top. However, when you are 15 or almost 15, these ironies are not appreciated, nor is the uncontrolled laughter of the mother.

Alas, I get myself under control. Voila, my daughters and the friends have feathers. One day, the neices will have feathers too.

Aren't they beautiful???

and now they can "go shake their tale feathers! "

WOW !! It has been a while....

I knew I had withdrawn from various social networking devices, but I didn't realize how long it has been since I had posted.
Pictures I have taken. Thoughts of posts that could be posted have been dreamed up...but then there is life. I must say the last few months I have been making conscious decisions away from social networking. Good, bad, will I regret the lack of "journaling", I don't know. But I do know that life is a bit more relaxed for me as a result of letting go of this "one" thing.
Kids have healed up. I have been visiting family here and there. We celebrated a 15th, 43rd, 60th, 42nd and 62nd birthday in the last month. Father's Day times four. A wedding. Managed to sneak the pool in a couple of times.
I was on steroids over the last month, so I got lots done at home. Crazed momma syndrome.
My oldest went to Colorado for a week.
The kids and hubby all were at VBS for a week. Nope, I didn't go this year. I worked on projects at home. LOTS of projects.
I have been lesson planning for the next year. 5 in school next year. I bought a GBC Pro-Click Binding system and been busy making up books. OH what fun that is! !! So going to like these books more than 3 prong folders, staples and 3 ring binders.
Listing stuff on E-Bay so I don't have to have a garage sale. :)
Garage - Sale Shopping ! ! !
Laundry, feeding children (why they find this necessary, I have no idea), more laundry, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning...did I mention I was on steroids this last month and the kids were duly frightened of mass cleaning spree. :)
And listening....
I find myself listening to the children in summer thrills.
Running down the street to the ice cream truck and ecstatic they have nut free treats !!!
Playing in the sprinkler with Gus the dog.
"Secret" discussions on how they can reinact a MacGyver stunt.
The mystery of how my oil and water boys have found they have common ground....laughing and plotting in great delight about how to annoy their older sister.
Summer Siestas! ! Oh, how I love these.
Summer nights, still warm but with the sun low in the west, it just doesn't feel as hot and it is perfect for a walk or hanging out on the porch.
My favorite is sneaking away to the lake and getting on my dad's boat. Completely disconnected from the world and responsibilities. No thoughts about laundry, paying bills, dishes, tomorrow's appointments. Just fun, hanging with the kids, feet dangling off the dock in the water, worms on a hook, tossing kiddos into the lake and hearing them holler at the suprise. Completely disconnected from our hectic life. So completely disconnected, I don't notice it till we were are headed home and the closer we get, the more my to do list and calendar starts running through my mind. Hubby agrees, more time at the lake is in the works. Nice for this momma to so completely disconnect. Who knows, maybe I will get some pictures taken and posted. :)